1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering wheel which has a generally annular shaped ring section to be hand held for steering a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known steering wheel, a ring section is comprised of a core member and a cladding layer that covers an entire outer circumference of the core member. The cladding layer is usually fabricated of a soft synthetic resin such as polyurethane or a hard material such as wood. When a driver holds the ring section by hands, the contact area between hands and the ring section, and the pressure distribution in the contact area are not uniform. Therefore, in order to feel comfort in holding a steering wheel, hardness of the cladding layer is desirably varied in a circumferential direction of a cross section of the ring section in which the core member is located at the center.
JP 60-219159 discloses a steering wheel wherein a cladding layer is comprised of two different materials; a first material located on an upper area as the steering wheel is mounted on a vehicle and a second material located on a lower area as mounted on a vehicle. However, this reference has no teaching on a difference in hardness in a circumferential direction of a cross section of the ring section.